McDonnell Releases Statement on President Sullivan Stepping Down

The NBC29 newsroom received the following statement from the Office of Governor Bob McDonnell:

Governor Bob McDonnell issued the following statement this afternoon regarding the mutually agreed upon resignation of University of Virginia President Teresa Sullivan. Per the agreement reached by the Board of Visitors and Dr. Sullivan, she will step down from her post on August 15th.

"I want to thank Dr. Teresa Sullivan for her leadership of the University of Virginia over the past two years. Serving as the President of Mr. Jefferson's University is a tremendous responsibility and she has fulfilled her duties with honor, energy and good stewardship. In addition, President Sullivan has been a great partner with our Administration in our efforts to increase access and affordability at Virginia's colleges and universities. Through her leadership, Virginia added nearly 1,000 new student slots and recently enacted the lowest yearly tuition increase in over a decade. Having the University of Virginia play such a leading role in higher education reform was immensely helpful in ensuring that this work to expand access and affordability all across our higher education system would be successful and broadly embraced by all state institutions.

Since its founding in 1819, the University has played a seminal role in higher education in America. Thomas Jefferson's vision lives on today as the University is a modern, diverse and globally-recognized educational landmark. I have great confidence that the Board of Visitors will conduct a thorough and diligent search for the next President of the University and will find the right individual for this prestigious and pivotal post. The University of Virginia has always enjoyed world-class leadership befitting the school's place in academia, and I am sure that will continue to be the case in the years ahead."